Birmingham liver op girl going for gold at the transplant games

Rebecca Hawkins was just a baby when she briefly ‘died’ on the operating theatre during a liver transplant. Yet she recovered and is now a Transplant Games medal winning teenager. Mum Tracey, 44 and from Sutton Coldfield, told her story to ZOE CHAMBERLAIN.

WHEN Rebecca was three-months old she stopped putting on weight and developed a skin condition similar to eczema.

She saw doctors, went on antibiotics and visited a dermatologist but no-one seemed to know what was going on.

They questioned whether she was a SCID baby – a Severe Combined Immunodeficiency condition – but initially decided she wasn’t.

Yet she continued to deteriorate and, several months later, we took her to Good Hope Hospital where they said she was suffering from pneumonia.

They also confirmed she was a SCID baby and rushed her by air ambulance to the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle, the only hospital able to treat babies with this condition at that time.

When we got there doctors warned us Rebecca was unlikely to see the night out. It was two days before Christmas.

They said she needed a bone marrow transplant, so she was put into isolation while we waited for one to become available. Fortunately, the Anthony Nolan Trust later found a donor and she had the transplant when she was eight-months-old.

We finally brought her home when she was ten months old. It was a lovely feeling.

We had a wonderful couple of months – then I noticed she was turning yellow.

We rushed to Birmingham Children’s Hospital where tests showed her liver was failing as a result of the bone marrow transplant doing such a good job.

Once again, we thought we were going to lose her.

One evening we were going to say goodnight to Rebecca at around 10pm when all the doctors came rushing back in.

They said they’d got a liver for her and they were going to do the transplant operation at 7am the next morning.

She was in theatre for 12 hours – the longest 12 hours of my life.

But when we finally saw her it was like all the colour had drained from her, she had gone from yellow to white.

We only found out years later that Rebecca had actually ‘died’ on the operating table and that she had needed a lot of blood.

She was home in a couple of weeks but an X-ray later showed the bioducts on her liver were closing up, so she needed another four-hour operation. We kept thinking what’s going to happen next?

But then, at around 18 months old, Rebecca started to recover.

She was crawling in no time and then one evening I was watching Coronation Street and she just got up and walked!

Today, Rebecca is 14 going on 30. You would never guess there had ever been anything wrong with her.

She’s a bit small for her age but that’s all.

She has a biopsy every five years and her bloods checked every couple of months.

She’s a happy girl and loves swimming. She also swims in the British Transplant Games and has won gold and silver medals. She will be taking part in the Transplant Games after the Olympics this year.

We’re getting involved in Big Yellow Friday because we feel it’s so important to raise awareness.

* TODAY is Big Yellow Friday, a national annual fundraising day for the Birmingham-based Children’s Liver Disease Foundation (CLDF).

Throughout the Midlands, people are planning yellow-themed events in a bid to raise £70,000 for the only UK charity dedicated to stamping out all forms of childhood liver disease.

Hundreds of Birmingham workers and pupils will be wearing something yellow, students at Aston University will be eating yellow cake and nurseries are having yellow fun and games. The lights on Victoria Square fountain, the Council House and Fort Dunlop will be turning yellow for the evening.

CLDF Chief Executive, Catherine Arkley said: “Every day in the UK two children are diagnosed with a childhood liver disease – that’s more than childhood leukaemia – and there is still no cure.

“We provide support to families and young people affected, act as an information hub for patients and healthcare professionals and help fund vital research into all aspects of childhood liver disease.

“We’re delighted to see so many fundraising events planned and are truly grateful for everybody’s hard work. Every contribution helps to make a real difference to the lives of families affected by liver disease.”

For more information, visit www.bigyellowfriday.org or www.childliverdisease.org